ITALY. A constitutional monarchy of Europe in which the executive power belongs exclusively to the sovereign. He is irre sponsible. He appoints his ministers, who are responsible. The signature of one of them is necessary to the validity of royal decrees. The king shares the legislative power with the parliament, which consists of two chambers, the senate and the cham ber of deputies. The senate consists of princes of the blood and an unlimited num ber of senators over forty years of age who are qualified under twenty-one different cate gories, for instance, having held high office, attained celebrity in science, literature, etc., and are nominated by the king for life. Their number now exceeds three hundred. It is the highest court of justice in the trial of political offences and the impeachment of ministers. The chamber of deputies con sists of five hundred and eight members, who are elected for five years in single-member constituencies by manhood suffrage with cer tain educational and property tests.
The judiciary system is modeled on that of France (see COURTS OF FRANCE) with Courts of Cassation in five principal cities, twenty appeal court districts, and one hun dred and sixty tribunal districts etc. In thirteen principal towns there are Pretori having exclusive penal jurisdiction, Encycl. Br.
ITEM (Lat.). Also ; likewise ; In like man ner ; again ; a second time. These are the various meanings of this Latin adverb.
It is used to introduce a new paragraph, or chapter, or division ; also to denote a par ticular in an account. It is used when any article or clause is added to a former, as if there were here a new beginning. Du Cange.
Hence the rule that a clause in a will intro duced by item shall not influence or be in fluenced by what precedes or follows, if it be sensible, taken independently ; 1 Salk. 239 ; or if there is no plain intent that it should be taken in connection, in which cases it may be construed conjunctively, in the sense of and, or also, in such a manner as to connect. sentences. If, therefore, a testator bequeath a legacy to Peter, payable out of a particular fund or charged upon a particular estate, item a legacy to James, James's legacy as well as Peter's will be a charge upon the same property ; 1 Bro. C. C. 482; Cro. Car.. 368.
ITER (Lat.). In Civil Law. A way; a right of way belonging as a servitude to an estate in the country (prcedium rusticum). The right of way was of three kinds: 1, iter, a right to walk, or ride on horseback, or in a litter ; 2, actus, a right to drive a beast or vehicle; 3, via, a full right of way, com prising right to walk or ride, or drive beast or carriage. Heineccius, Elem. Jur. Civ. § 408. Or, as some think, they were distin guished by the width of the objects which could be rightfully carried over the way ; e. g. via, 8 feet ; actus, 4 feet, etc. Mackel dey, Civ. Law § 290; Bracton 232; 4. Bell, H. L. 390.
In Old English Law. A journey, especially a circuit made by a justice in eyre, or itiner ant justice, to try causes according to his own mission. Du Cange ; Bracton, lib. 3, c.. 11; Britton, c. 2; Cowell. See EYRE.